BJP dismisses allegations about large scale voter deletions in Karnataka as ‘false and misleading’

BJP spokesperson M. G. Mahesh (third from left) at a press conference in Mysuru on Wednesday. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT BJP’s State spokesperson M. G. Mahesh has dismissed Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) spokesperson M. Lakshmana’s allegations about large scale deletion of names from the voters’ list in Karnataka as “false and misleading”. Addressing a press conference in Mysuru on Wednesday, Mr. Mahesh said the Election Commission of India was still in the process of mapping the voters in Karnataka ahead of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), which seeks to verify, revise and update the electoral rolls. While the exercise seeks to remove the names that had been entered multiple times and the names of deceased persons among others, the KPCC spokesperson was indulging in “fear mongering” by spreading lies about large-scale deletion of names from the voters’ list. He sought the arrest of Mr. Lakshmana for creating “unnecessary unrest” among the voters. Mr. Mahesh was referring to Mr. Lakshmana’s claim that the names of 86 lakh voters in Karnataka including about 60,000 voters in Narasimharaja Assembly constituency had been deleted.  Mr. Mahesh said the writing on the wall is clear that an imminent rout awaits the Congress in the next Assembly elections. So, the Congress party’s spokesperson is using SIR as an excuse for its impending loss in the elections, he said. The BJP spokesperson also sought to make it clear that there is no connection between the Centre and the Election Commission of India (ECI) in the SIR. The SIR had been taken up in India after a gap of more than 20 years and the ECI was going about verifying and revising the electoral rolls. Also, the mapping had been taken up by the Booth Level Officers (BLOs), who are the employees of Congress Government in Karnataka. Claiming that the Congress had welcomed SIR in Kerala, Mr. Mahesh said the Congress welcomes SIR and Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) wherever it does well and criticises it whenever it fails. Published - May 13, 2026 06:54 pm IST